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Saturday, August 31, 2013

SAINT JOHN - According to the Sea Dogs 2013-14 pocket
schedule, here are some of the promotions the team will be having this year.

Saturday, September 21st vs Bathurst –Home Opener

Saturday, October 19th vs Quebec – Pink in the
Rink

Sunday, October 20th vs Chicoutimi – Mascot Night

Saturday, November 2nd vs Charlottetown –
Support our Troops

Friday, December 6th vs Victoriaville – Teddy Bear
Toss

Saturday, December 7th vs Cape Breton –
Christmas at the Station

Friday, January 17th vs Charlottetown – Sign Night

Sunday, January 26th vs Bathurst – Minor Hockey
Day

Saturday, March 8th vs Halifax – Fan Appreciation
Day

Usual stuff. The mascot hockey game during intermission
of Mascot Night is a must see event.

Tickets to all 34 regular season Sea Dogs home games go
on sale Friday, September 13th. Season ticket and flex pack holders
will be able to pick up their tickets on Sunday, September 8th at
the barbecue or at Sea Dogs Central during the pre-season game versus Moncton.

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Bruins released their rookie camp roster for the
September Coral Springs, Florida tournament thing today. The Boston rookies
will play rookie teams from the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville
Predators.

Bruins rookie camp begins on September 4th.
Full camp opens on September 11th.

Villemaire, who will turn 21 in October, spent parts of
two seasons with Saint John. In 2011-12, the rugged forward registered eight
goals and three assists in 16 regular season games following a trade from the
Drummondville Voltigeurs. He added three assists in 13 playoff games.

After starting last season in the ECHL, Villemaire
rejoined the Sea Dogs for the second half. He had 13 goals and 11 assists 29
games and another two goals in four playoff matches.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Inaugural Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Weekend
appears to have been a success.

According to a Sea Dogs press release, “the game, several
auctions and a barbecue, raised over $10,000, with more to come through online
auctions.” Money raised from the weekend went to the NB chapter of the Children’s Wish Foundation, Top Corner Fund, and the Brendon Oreto Foundation.

By the sounds it, the second Wallace McCain Memorial
Alumni Weekend will take place next August.

"Sea Dog players have a strong affinity for the city
and organization and they and the fans want to make it an annual event," Sea
Dogs Foundation board member and team vice-president Mike McGraw said. "We
look forward to the second annual Alumni weekend coming next August!"

Here’s John Moore’s video from the Alumni Game featuring some highlights. The UNB Varsity Reds Alumni
defeated the Sea Dogs Alumni 7-6 in a shootout.

WEBSTER

Bailey Webster was released from Sea Dogs training camp
this week and was also involved in a Maritime Junior A Hockey League trade.

Webster, a second-round pick of the Truro Bearcats in
this year’s MHL Draft, had his MHL rights traded to the Miramichi Timberwolves
along with future considerations in exchange for goaltender Jordan Kennedy.

The 16-year old defenseman was a seventh-round pick of
Saint John in June’s QMJHL Entry Draft. He had two goals and eight assists in
35 games with the NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League’s Cornwall Thunder last year.

Head Coach and General Manager Mike Kelly said that
Malone had passed through the waiver process once and if he does so again that
he understands Malone will join the Miramichi Timberwolves of the Maritime
Junior Hockey League.

Asked about the move Kelly simply said, "we are
rebuilding you know".

We are in the downtown core of rebuild city, folks.

Malone had two goals and an assist in 22 games with Saint
John in the second half of last season.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs announced this
afternoon that four more players have been cut from the team’s Training Camp
roster.

Forwards Mathieu Joseph, Brett Malone, and Riley Craft
and defenseman Bailey Webster have all been reassigned by the club.

Joseph was a third-round pick of the Sea Dogs in June’s
2013 QMJHL Draft while Webster was a seventh-round pick. Both would have been
16-year olds this season which complicated things. It appears Saint John's final roster will include four 16-year olds: Nathan Noel, Will Thompson, Thomas Chabot,
and Samuel Dove-McFalls.

Malone, 19, was acquired by Saint John last season from
Shawinigan in exchange for a 2014 10th-round pick. The forward had
two goals and an assist in 22 games with the Sea Dogs in the second half.

Craft, an 18-year old Saint John native, was a free agent
invite by the Sea Dogs. He looked decent in pre-season action, recording three
assists and a +3 rating in three games.

There are now 25 players left in camp: 13 forwards, nine
defencemen and three goalies. Below is a look at who is lift (positions as listed in the Sea Dogs
website).

Big time props to David Kelly, the Sea Dogs Foundation, Alumni Committee and everyone else involved in the Inaugural Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni
Weekend. An enjoyable weekend for a good cause.

Really says something about the Sea Dogs organization
when all those guys are willing to travel to Saint John on one of the last weekends
of summer. Clearly a lot of players enjoy their time with the Sea Dogs.

I wonder how many of the Sea Dogs-fan-since-2009 fans had
even heard of Jeff Caron or Jason Churchill. Cool to see those guys back
playing with Huberdeau, Phillips, Beaulieu, etc.

Is anyone really surprised that the UNB Varsity Reds
Alumni won the game? They had Travis Fullerton in net.

Having the wrong names on the back of UNB’s jerseys was
super confusing. It was pretty much the most UNB thing ever.

At this point, I just don’t see how the Dogs could take
Alex Fournier over Antoine Landry. We’ll see what happens.

Matthew Highmore. Can’t wait to see him in a real game this season.

Saint John needed to have a big draft this summer to
reload the cupboards. So far, the 2013 Sea Dogs draft class has looked
impressive.

After four straight pre-season games against the Sea
Dogs, I can’t say I’m upset that I won’t have to watch the Titan again until
September 15th.

This coming weekend: the last weekend without Sea Dogs
hockey for a long, long time.

I really hope the Screaming Eagles get a huge return for Nicolas Roy. They have a combined 55 wins over the past three seasons. 55.

Best of luck to Matthew Buckley, the creator of most of
the great Sea Dogs video intros and other stuff shown on the big screen over the past several years. He’s heading to school in Ontario.

Picked up a Titan pocket schedule the other day. They
have just four Saturday night home games all season. Saint John has 12.

Best part about the KC Irving Regional Centre? There’s a
Subway and St-Hubert Express in the parking lot. Also finally got to Five Guys
in Bangor last week. Unreal.

Dove-McFalls was a third-round pick of the Sea Dogs in
this summer’s draft. The left winger recorded 15 goals and 26 assists in 28
games with the Lac St-Louis Tigres Espoir last season, a team he captained.

Coming into camp, he certainly wasn’t a guarantee to make
the team compared to some of the club’s other draft picks. But he has had a
solid training camp and has certainly looked good enough to make the jump to
the QMJHL this year. He has one assist in three pre-season games.

It’s believed the Sea Dogs will keep at least four
16-year olds this season: Nathan Noel, Will Thompson, Thomas Chabot, and
Dove-McFalls. It’ll be interesting to see what Saint John’s final roster looks
like as Mike Kelly has some difficult decisions to make.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

BATHURST – Patrik Zdrahal’s second period beauty proved
to be the winner as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs
5-1 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season play on Sunday afternoon at
the KC Irving Regional Centre.

Zdrahal weaved through the Saint John defense before
ripping the puck up and over Sea Dogs goaltender Antoine Landry. That would
give Bathurst the lead and they would never lose it again.

Also scoring for Bathurst - who netted five straight goals - was Adam Stevens, Robert
Pelletier, Alexandros Soumakis, and Gabriel Gosselin. Lucus Grundy had two
assists. Mason McDonald played the entire game in net and made 26 saves for the
victory.

Saint John’s lone goal came from Michael Abbott. Sebastien
Auger was sharp as usual and stopped all 15 shots he faced. Antoine Landry didn’t
have his greatest game of the pre-season but neither did Saint John’s defense.
Landry allowed five goals on 20 shots in the second half of the game.

The win improved Bathurst to 2-2-0 this pre-season while
Saint John fell to 2-2-0. This was the fourth straight meeting between the two
squads.

BATHURST – The Saint John Sea Dogs’ mini pre-season
series against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan comes to an end this afternoon.

The Sea Dogs and Titan meet for the fourth straight time
this Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season today at 3pm at the KC Irving
Regional Centre.

Saint John is 2-1 in the series so far thanks to a 4-3
shootout victory last night at Harbour Station. Thomas Chabot, Bailey Webster,
and Mathieu Joseph scored in regulation time while Connor Donaghey scored the
only goal in the shootout. Sebastien Auger and Antoine Landry combined to make
44 saves in the win. Landry stopped all five shots he faced in the shootout.

Bathurst had goals yesterday from Alexandre Gosselin,
Joel Blanchard, and Guillaume Brisebois. Miguel Sullivan played the entire game
and made 26 saves in the loss.

The Titan are led this pre-season by Joel Blanchard and
Adam Chapman who each have five points. Blanchard has three goals and two
assists in three games and Chapman has one goal and four assists in two games.

Saint John is led by Matthew Highmore who has one goal
and three assists for four points in just one exhibition game so far.

Last night’s game saw the most nasty and rough stuff of
any of the games between these two so far. So… hopefully today’s match will be
an entertaining one.

In the afternoon, the Saint John Sea Dogs Alumni lost 7-6
in a shootout to the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds Alumni in the
Inaugural Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Game. In the second part of the rare Sea
Dogs hockey doubleheader at the Station, Saint John defeated the
Acadie-Bathurst Titan 4-3 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
pre-season play.

Connor Donaghey, Saint John’s fifth shooter, was the only
player who could score in the breakaway contest as he beat Titan goaltender
Miguel Sullivan. Antoine Landry continued his stellar play by stopping all five
Bathurst shooters.

Thomas Chabot, Bailey Webster, and Mathieu Joseph scored
in regulation time for the Sea Dogs. Sebastien Auger got his first start of the
pre-season and made 25 saves in 31 minutes of action. Landry made 19 stops in
the second half of the game.

Bathurst had goals from Alexandre Gosselin, Joel
Blanchard, and Guillaume Brisebois. Sullivan made 26 saves in the loss.

This was the third straight pre-season game between the
two and was the most heated. There were no fights but there was quite a bit of
rough stuff.

Saint John is now 2-1 in exhibition action while Bathurst
fell to 1-2.

SAINT JOHN – The Inaugural Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni
Game turned out to be a rather entertaining match on a sunny Saturday afternoon
at Harbour Station.

The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds Alumni edged
the Saint John Sea Dogs Alumni 7-6 in a shootout. The Sea Dogs led 3-1 after
one but the lead slipped away and the two teams entered the third tied at 5-5.
The two squads exchanged goals in the third before a scoreless overtime frame.
The Reds were the only team to score in the shootout as former Sea Dogs and UNB
goaltender Travis Fullerton shut the door.

The game had a fairly moderate pace in the first two
periods. But things did pick up in the third when the game was on the line. It was basically what you'd expect from a charity hockey game featuring NHL players.

UNB outshot Saint John 29-27 overall.

Alexadre Leduc was named the Saint John’s player of the
game while former NHLer Darryl Boyce was named UNB’s top player.

Below is a somewhat accurate score sheet of the game.
Times are what was listed on the clock at the time because we just don't feel like converting them.

SAINT JOHN – The current Saint John Sea Dogs are back in
action tonight as they resume Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season play.

The Sea Dogs, 1-1-0 in exhibition action so far, host the
Acadie-Bathurst Titan, also 1-1-0, this evening at 7pm at Harbour Station.
These two teams met twice last weekend and will also meet again tomorrow
afternoon in Bathurst.

Last Saturday, Saint John defeated Bathurst 7-1 at the
qplex thanks to a pair of goals from Joey Richard and singles from Matthew
Highmore, Connor Donaghey, Michael Abbott, David Mosher, and Mathieu Newcomb.
Both Mosher and Newcomb have since been cut.

On Sunday, the Titan got the best of the Sea Dogs and won
6-2. Spencer Smallman and Brett Malone each scored for Saint John.

The star of last weekend’s pre-season games was
goaltender Antoine Landry. The New Brunswicker made 38 saves on 40 shots over
two appearances. The other new goalies taking part in camp have since been cut,
meaning Landry and returning netminder Alex Fournier are now in a battle for
the backup position on this year’s squad.

SAINT JOHN – Today is the day most Saint John Sea Dogs
fans have waited all summer for.

At 1:30pm at Harbour Station, the first Wallace McCain
Memorial Alumni Game will take place with the Saint John Sea Dogs Alumni facing
off against the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds Alumni.

From the Sea Dogs Foundation’s website:

The game is named in honour of businessman, community
leader and philanthropist, G. Wallace F. McCain. He was a former Chairman of
Maple Leaf Foods and also co-founder and former Vice Chairman of McCain Foods.
Mr. McCain is the father of Scott McCain, CEO of the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey
club.

The Sea Dogs released their full roster for the game
earlier this week and it is stacked. Four of Saint John’s defensemen have
played at least a game in the National Hockey League.

What’s interesting about Saint John’s roster is that the
first generation of the team is meeting the second generation. It’ll be the
first time we get to see guys like Jason Churchill, Jeff Caron, and Ryan
Sparling join forces with guys like Pierre Durepos, Zack Phillips, and Eric
Gelinas.

There will also be a number of former players attending
this weekend’s festivities but will not be playing. That list of players is
highlighted by 2013 Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau. You may have heard
of him.

Saint John’s full roster for today’s game along with how
many games they played with the Sea Dogs can be found below:

This is as big of a weekend as weekend’s can get in
August in Sea Dogs land.

The inaugural Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Weekend is
taking place which will be highlighted by tomorrow’s game between the Sea Dogs
Alumni and UNB Varsity Reds Alumni. The game takes place at 1:30pm at Harbour
Station and tickets are still available.

Following the Alumni Game, there will be a Family Fun
Fair in the parking lot before the Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in
pre-season action at 7pm.

On Sunday, the Sea Dogs, 1-1 in exhibition play so far,
travel to Bathurst to battle the Titan at 3pm.

Tesink will wear an ‘A’ along with Aaron Hoyles,
Christopher Clapperton, and Marc-Olivier Roy. Olivier Picard will be the team’s
captain.

There is a chance of course that Tesink, 20, could play
pro hockey this season in the St. Louis Blues organization. The Saint John
native played in just six regular season and four playoff games with the Armada
following his trade last winter because of an injury we just don’t want to
discuss anymore.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

SAINT JOHN – The full roster of former Sea Dogs that will be
playing in Saturday’s Alumni Game has been announced.

The Sea Dogs Alumni will take on the UNB Varsity Reds
Alumni on Saturday at 1:30pm as part of the 2013 Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni
Weekend. The game will be followed by a Family Fun Fair in the Harbour
Station parking lot before the Saint John Sea Dogs pre-season game versus the
Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 7pm. There is also a reception and auction at Rocky's
Sports Bar following the pre-season match.

SAINT JOHN – The Sea Dogs announced today that
play-by-play man Tim Roszell has joined the club as the team’s Manager of Media and
Communications.

"I am extremely excited to join the Sea Dogs,"
Roszell said in a team release. "I've been fortunate to be involved with
the club for several years. I believe my passion for the game and for the team
will make this an amazing experience, and I'm looking forward to it."

Roszell has called the team’s games on News 88.9 since
the 2006-07 season. He has also been a reporter and news anchor at the radio
station.

"We are thrilled to add someone with the credentials
of Tim Roszell to the Sea Dog Team," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long.
"Tim is unquestionably one of the best broadcasters in Junior Hockey and
his name is synonymous with the Sea Dogs."

The hiring also ensures that the Sea Dogs won’t lose
Roszell as their play-by-play man with the impending sale (not sure if it has been officially sold yet... but maybe it has... I don't know) of News 88.9.

"Tim will continue to call Sea Dog games on News88.9
for the season while offering insights and reports from the road for our
fans," said Long.

No huge surprises in this first wave of cuts. Although a
few of them did look decent in camp and in exhibition games, they were still in
tough to make the team because, to put it simply, there are better players
ahead of them. It’s believed a few also left to keep NCAA eligibility which is
understandable.

The players cut today have been reassigned to their respective midget or junior teams.

With Daccord leaving to maintain his NCAA eligibility and
Smith and Michaud cut, Sebastien Auger and Antoine Landry are the only
goaltenders currently in camp. Alex Fournier, Auger’s backup last season, is
not currently participating in camp. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the backup
situation.

According to a press release, “Saint John now has 15
forwards, 10 defenceman, and two goaltenders remaining in camp” (those numbers
don’t include Kelly Bent, Juraj Siska, Jurij Repe, or Fournier).

Sea Dogs training camp continues this week to prepare for
this weekend’s pre-season contests against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

"Kelly provides some sand paper to our line
up," said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Mike Kelly in a news
release. "He is a passionate player who plays with energy and makes it
difficult on opposing players. We believe he will be a good compliment to our
skilled players and be a good addition in the room."

Bent has one goal, three assists, and 92 penalty minutes
in 47 career QMJHL games with the Olympiques and PEI Rocket. He also has 12 career
fights, according to HockeyFights.com.

The 18-year old forward is listed at 6’0” and 192 lbs.

Saint John's next pre-season game is this Saturday at Harbour Station against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

A number of other trades have been announced around the
league over the past 24 hours. One of the biggest involved Maxime Gravel, the
defenseman who the Sea Dogs selected in third-round of the 2011 QMJHL Draft but
never reported. The Dogs traded him to Rimouski in December of 2011 and today he
was dealt by the Oceanic to the Val-d’Or Foreurs in exchange for 2014 first
(Halifax) and second and a 2015 sixth.

In 47 career QMJHL games, Bent has one goal, three
assists, and 92 penalty minutes. He also had eight fights last season – second most
on the Olympiques (seven of the eight were with Gatineau). His 2011-12 fight card includes two tilts against Saint John’s
Oliver Cooper.

Saint John’s next pre-season game is Saturday night at
Harbour Station against Bathurst.

BATHURST – The Acadie-Bathurst Titan turned the tables on
the Saint John Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon.

After posting a 7-1 victory over the Titan on Saturday
night in Quispamsis, the Sea Dogs fell 6-2 to Bathurst in Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League pre-season play at the KC Irving Regional Centre. Both teams are
now 1-1-0 in exhibition play.

Like Saturday it was a penalty filled affair. The Titan
jumped ahead 2-0 in the second period but Saint John tied it at 2-2 with a pair
of power play markers. But then Bathurst blew it open and the Dogs could never
come back.

Joel Blanchard had a pair of goals for the Titan while
singles came from Marc-Andre Gauvreau, Christophe Boivin, Francois Godin, and
Adam Chapman. Miguel Sullivan played the entire game, making 23 saves in the
victory.

Saint John goals came from Spencer Smallman and Brett
Malone. Antoine Landry got the start in net again and made 18 saves. Maxime
Michaud played the second half of the game and made 25 saves.

BATHURST – After a good opening win, the Saint John Sea
Dogs continue pre-season play today at 3pm in Bathurst.

Last night in Quispamsis, the Sea Dogs led 2-0 after one
and 5-0 after two en route to a 7-1 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League exhibition play. Matthew Highmore led the way
for Saint John with a goal and three assists. Joey Richard had two goals while
singles came from Connor Donaghey, Michael Abbott, David Mosher, and Mathieu
Newcomb. Riley Craft, who played with Highmore and Richard, had three assists.

Saint John’s goaltending was pretty good last night.
Antoine Landry played the first half of the game, stopping all 20 shots he
faced. Christopher Smith allowed one goal on eight shots in the second half.

Bathurst, who outshot Saint John 16-5 in the second
period but did not score, had their only goal come from Joey Bernard. Luke
Jessop played the first two periods in net, allowing five goals on 16 shots.
Miguel Sullivan allowed two on 12 shots in the third.

Both teams should have some different looking lineups
today. These two also meet twice next weekend.

The Saint John Sea Dogs produced an impressive offensive display in a 7-1 victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League pre-season action on Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs could certainly struggle offensively this
season with most of their top scorers from last season not returning and having
a young, fairly inexperienced lineup. But Saturday’s display - even though it
was just one pre-season game - should give everyone some confidence moving
forward.

Second year Sea Dog Matthew Highmore looked real good,
scoring once and setting up three other goals. Joey Richard had a pair of goals
while singles came from Connor Donaghey, Michael Abbott, David Mosher, and
Mathieu Newcomb. Riley Craft, playing on a line with Highmore and Richard, had
three helpers.

Goaltender Antoine Landry looked comfortable in net and
stopped all 20 shots he faced in 31 minutes of action. Christopher Smith played
the remainder of the game but only faced eight shots.

Bathurst’s lone goal came from Joey Bernard. Luke Jessop
played the first two periods in net and allowed five goals on 16 shots. Miguel
Sullivan played the third and allowed two goals on 12 shots.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

QUISPAMSIS, NB – The Saint John Sea Dogs begin pre-season
play tonight at the qplex in Quispamsis.

The Sea Dogs host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan this evening
at 7pm. At the time of this writing, tickets to the game were still available.

This is the pre-season opener for both clubs. Each has
been practicing and scrimmaging this past week and each will be icing young and
rookie filled lineups tonight.

Several of Saint John’s new prospects have looked good in
scrimmages. Tonight, we should get to see how they do in a somewhat real game
situation. There are quite a few roster spots up for grabs so this should be
an entertaining exhibition schedule.

So yeah… that’s pretty much all we have to say heading
into this game. Hopefully it’s a good one.

The Sea Dogs and Titan also play tomorrow in Bathurst and
meet twice again next weekend.

Friday, August 16, 2013

SAINT JOHN – If you’re a Sea Dogs follower who enjoys
watching the team play the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Moncton Wildcats, the next few
weeks will probably be the greatest few weeks of your life.

The Sea Dogs will play nine games – which includes
regular season and pre-season games - between August 17th and September 21st but will not leave the province once. They’ll
take on the Titan six times and the Wildcats three times.

That stretch of games includes four straight against the
Titan - a set of games that begins Saturday evening in Quispamsis – followed by
three straight against Moncton and then finishes off with two more matches
versus Bathurst.

Luckily, Saint John will be playing in Quispamsis and
Bouctouche during this time so there will be a change of scenery at least. Here is the full schedule:

After this New Brunswick stretch, the Dogs will play a
home-and-home series against the PEI Rocket Charlottetown Islanders. The Sherbrooke
Phoenix then make a random visit to Harbour Station on September 28th
to break up this repetitive madness.

SAINT JOHN – For the first time in a long time, there is
actual hockey to discuss this evening on 3rd Line Grind (that’s as
long as you consider the first week of QMJHL Training Camps “actual hockey”).

In yesterday’s scrimmage, Group B defeated Group A fairly
easily. Antoine Landry and Joel Daccord were both good in net. Several other players
stood out in a good way, including Saint John’s top picks in the past two
drafts – Matthew Highmore and Nathan Noel. Both players showed off some speed and skill.

The Sea Dogs take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan this
weekend in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season play. They meet on
Saturday night in Quispamsis and on Sunday afternoon in Bathurst. The first
round of cuts will likely be made early next week.

And on a side note, be sure to listen to 3rd Line Grind
tonight at 6pm on Local 107.3 FM or localfm.ca with myself and Sea Dogs PR guy
Rob Williams. We’ll be talkin’ Training Camp.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

You can’t say the Sea Dogs don’t have posters up. This is
a shot of the Harbour Station pedway this morning.

PRE-SEASON

A reminder to get your tickets quick for Saturday’s Sea
Dogs pre-season opener against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the qplex. Saint John’s
annual game in Quispamsis usually sells out or is close to it so get your seats
while you can.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at the qplex,
calling (506) 848-5900, or visiting qplex.quispamsis.ca.

TRAINING CAMP

The on-ice portion of Sea Dogs Training Camp began this
morning at Harbour Station. The roster is split into two groups. Both groups
had separate practices today and held a scrimmage in between.

"I expect every one of them to hit the ice as if
they were going to be playing here all year," he said. "I’m anxious
to see what they did this summer to make sure they were ready for this. I
expect them to have worked hard to be ready. We’ll see how dedicated they are.”

“I don’t think they’re as strong a group as we had four
or five years ago overall but the young ones we have added are very strong and
I expect them to show that,” Kelly added. “We’ll have a young team."

Country 94’s news blog also reports that “one dad here
with his son who is trying out tells CHSJ News it was scramble getting here
because they didn't know officially until Monday night.”

NO SHOW

If you haven't noticed, American Jack Eichel, a 10th-round
pick of Saint John in June’s draft, did not show up for camp. No surprise. The Boston Globe reported last week that he is still committed to playing for the US National
Team Development Program this season and Boston University next year.

Following their longest off-season in years, the Sea Dogs
return to the ice today as the team’s 2013 Training Camp really gets rolling
this morning.

The 43 players – made up of returnees, prospects, and free
agents – have been broken into two teams for camp. The full roster as well as
the intra-squad lineups can be found on the Sea Dogs website.

Training Camp, as usual, will take place at Harbour
Station and is open to the public. Here’s today’s schedule:

10:00 – 10:45am: Group A practice/Group B off ice workout
11:00 – 11:45am: Group A vs Group B Scrimmage
12:00 – 12:45pm: Group B practice/Group A off ice workout

The Sea Dogs will also be practicing and scrimmaging
tomorrow as they prepare for Saturday night’s pre-season contest against the
Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the qplex. Tickets can be purchased online at
qplex.quispamsis.ca.

Meanwhile, Nathan, a first-round pick of the Montreal
Canadiens in 2011, will likely play for the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs again this year. He made his NHL debut last season, appearing in six games with the
Habs.

The younger Beaulieu is scheduled to appear in the
Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Game next weekend at Harbour Station.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

SAINT JOHN – The Sea Dogs have finally released their
2013 Training Camp roster.

There are not too many surprises on this year’s camp
roster. One notable absence is Andreas Tsogkas who, according to a Tweet from the
Sea Dogs, will be sticking in Ontario this season. Tsogkas would have been an
overager on the club which complicated things.

The roster also confirms that import Jakub Izacky will
not be returning to the club. According to Elite Prospects he will play for HC
Trinec in the Czech Republic.

Of course, this year’s camp will be highlighted by Saint
John’s 2013 draft class. Sea Dogs fans will get their first look at Nathan
Noel, Will Thompson, Thomas Chabot, Joey Richard, and many others this week.

It’s interesting to see goaltender Joel Daccord on the
list of those attending. A Massachusetts native, Daccord was an 11th-round
pick of Saint John in June’s draft and at least one scout already has him pegged as a
NCAA Division 1 netminder. Will he stick around and lose his NCAA eligibility is
the big question.

Some notable free agent invites include Mike Hoffman’s
younger brother, Tyler. Saint John natives Johnny Erbs and Riley Craft, both of
whom spent time with the Woodstock Slammers last year, will also be attending.

Monday, August 12, 2013

The Sea Dogs Foundation and Children's Wish Foundation
announced five more additions to the Sea Dogs roster for the 2013 Wallace
McCain Memorial Alumni Game.

The additions are Zack Phillips, Keven Charland, Brett
Gallant (will not play), Alexandre Leduc, and Maxime Villemaire. Troy Dumville will also be
behind the Saint John bench as an assistant coach.

From the Sea Dogs release:

Zack Phillips played for the Houston Aeros of the
American Hockey League in 2012-13, after three successful seasons with Saint
John. His stint in the port city included a trip to the President Cup Final in
2010, President Cup and Memorial Cup wins in 2011 and a second President Cup
win in 2012. Phillips was selected in the first round, 27th overall, by the
Minnesota Wild in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Keven Charland was a 7th overall pick in the 2005 QMJHL
Entry Draft by the Victoriaville Tigres and was traded to the Sea Dogs during
the 2006-07 season. Charland played parts of three seasons with the Dogs before
continuing his hockey career at the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus.

Fan favourite Brett Gallant will be in attendance for the
Alumni Weekend festivities, but will not be suiting up in the action of the
Alumni Game. A member of the inaugural Sea Dogs team in 2005-06, Gallant racked
up 439 penalty minutes in only 131 games, good for second place all-time behind
Mike Thomas. Recently re-signed with the New York Islanders, Gallant has spent
the past three seasons as a member of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Alexandre Leduc played 106 games with the Sea Dogs in his
QMJHL career, amassing 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points. He spent the
2010-11 season with Université de Moncton before transferring to St. Thomas
University. He played 11 games with the STU Tommies in 2012-13 notching a goal
and an assist in 11 games.

Maxime Villemaire started his professional career in 2012
with the Gwinnett Gladiators after spending the second half of the 2011-12
season with the Sea Dogs, contributing to the franchise's second consecutive
President Cup. Villemaire returned to the Sea Dogs in the second half of the
2012-13 season to finish off his junior career. He was named an Assistant
Captain following his homecoming.

Troy Dumville has joined the Sea Dogs alumni coaching
staff as an assistant coach. Dumville was the Assistant GM/Assistant Coach in
the Dogs inaugural season, and now serves as the Director of Recruitment for
the QMJHL.

The UNB Varsity Reds Alumni also added Tom Coolen as an
assistant coach. According to the Sea Dogs release, “Coolen is currently the
Assistant Coach of the Latvian National team headed for the 2014 Sochi Winter
Olympic Games.”

The V-Reds have also added Spencer Corcoran and Jeff
Wilson to their roster.

Tickets to the August 24th game at Harbour
Station against the Sea Dogs Alumni and Varsity Reds Alumni are still
available. For more information, please visit www.seadogsfoundation.com. For
VIP packages, please contact the Sea Dogs administration office and for
single-game tickets, please contact the Harbour Station Box Office at 657-1234
or visit tickets.harbourstation.ca.

It is with deep regret that the Acadie-Bathurst Titan announces the death of one of its young prospects, Jordan Boyd. The 16 year-old was skating during an individual training session when he suffered a discomfort and collapsed on the ice. The Acadie-Bathurst Titan medical team tried to revive him several times. The young player was transported to hospital where his death was confirmed by a doctor.

The League was informed of the incident and is working in collaboration with the team to bring the necessary support to the parents and players in these difficult times. Jordan Boyd had had a complete medical evaluation prior to the camp and didn't seem to have any medical problems that prevented him from participating. We are waiting for the hospital's autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. We offer our deepest condolences to his loved ones.

In order to protect his family's privacy, the organization will not emit any further comments on this case for the moment.

Boyd, a Bedford native, was a fourth-round pick of the Titan in this past June’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft. He played 41 games with Rothesay Netherwood last season, recording 17 goals and 22 assists.

The team tweeted this morning that all rookie camp activates had been cancelled for the remainder of the day due to “uncontrollable circumstances.” It didn’t come across as anything real serious, but obviously it was.

The Titan are scheduled to play their first four pre-season games against Saint John, including two this weekend.

"We are very excited about the talent we have. We
expect to get back to a high level sooner than most people think," Long
said.

"We are very happy with the new draftees. We
selected six in the first three rounds. We also have other young guys like Matt
Highmore and Spencer Smallman back and ready to go. We realize that we have to
be patient."

Sea Dogs play-by-play man Tim Roszell was on The Pipeline
Show on Saturday. He talked about a bit of everything and is definitely worth a
listen. Check that out HERE.

PHILLIPS

NHL.com has named former Sea Dogs forward Zack Phillips (pictured) the third best prospect in the Minnesota Wild system.

“With a year of pro hockey under his belt, Phillips, who
had 80 points (30 goals) in 60 games for the Saint John Sea Dogs in his final
junior season in 2011-12, is ready to make a bigger impact, whether it be in
Minnesota or for the Iowa Wild, the club's new AHL affiliate,” writes Brian
Compton.

Phillips had eight goals and 19 assists in 71 games with
the AHL's Houston Aeros last season.

SAINT JOHN - The Sea Dogs have released the schedule for
the first week of the team’s 2013 Training Camp.

As usual, all practices and scrimmages at Harbour Station will be open to the public. The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, August 15th

10:00 - 10:45am

Group A Practice

Group B Off Ice Workout

11:00 - 11:45am

Scrimmage

12:00 - 12:45am

Group B Practice

Group A Off Ice Workout

Friday, August 16th

10:00 - 10:45am

Group A Practice

Group B Off Ice Workout

11:00 - 11:45am

Scrimmage

12:00 - 12:45am

Group B Practice

Group A Off Ice Workout

The team has not yet released their camp roster.

Saint John will play two pre-season games next weekend as
well. They host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the qplex next Saturday night
before travelling to Bathurst to take on the Titan next Sunday afternoon.

Tickets to the game at the qplex as well as all other Sea
Dogs pre-season games are now on sale.

Of note, the December 20th game in Cape Breton
will be Saint John’s second-to-last game before the holiday break. The March 14th
game in Halifax is Saint John’s second-to-last game of the regular season.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

A reminder that, if you haven’t already, you should pick
up some tickets to the Wallace McCain Memorial Alumni Game. There are only
2,500 tickets available for the game and they’ve been on sale for a few weeks,
so…

The game will take place on Saturday, August 24th
at 1:30pm at Harbour Station and will feature the Sea Dogs Alumni taking on the
UNB Varsity Reds Alumni. There will be a fun fair and BBQ in the parking lot
from 3-6:30pm that day as well.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Today is the first day of August and in less than two
weeks Saint John Sea Dogs players will arrive at Harbour Station for the team’s
2013 training camp.

Pre-season tickets are now on sale for season ticket
holders. Saint John will play three exhibition home games at home this year –
August 17th vs Bathurst (qplex), August 24th vs Bathurst, and
September 8th vs Moncton.

Some other stuff is also taking place this month. Here is
a rundown of what’s to come:

Aug. 1st - Pre-season tickets on sale for
season ticket holders

Aug. 9th - Pre-season tickets on sale to
general public

Aug. 14th – Training Camp begins

Aug. 17th at 7pm – Pre-season game vs Bathurst
at qplex

Aug. 18th at 3pm – Pre-season game at Bathurst

Aug. 24th at 1:30pm – 2013 Wallace McCain
Memorial Alumni Game

Aug 24th at 7pm – Pre-season game vs Bathurst
at Harbour Station

Aug. 25th at 3pm – Pre-season game at Bathurst

Tickets to the game at the qplex and the Alumni Game are
on sale now to everyone.

Saint John’s regular season begins on September 13th
in Moncton. Their home opener is on September 21st vs Bathurst.